Disc Golf is the perfect game to play into retirement. It is readily available, inexpensive, easy to practice, good for exercise and fun to play with others. It is also much lower on the scale of injury risks. So, if you are looking for that game that still allows you to be competitive without the ice packs and Advil afterwards, then Disc Golf might be the perfect option for you to play into retirement.
Can we first establish a few concepts here? When most people think sports and retirement, they are usually picturing people with white hair hitting a golf ball 100 yards at a time, or people playing shuffleboard in Florida.
Let’s erase that image from this conversation.
But as a quick aside, I like both golf and shuffleboard and would play them readily if I had time/access.
Really, what I am talking about is the idea that disc golf is a game that we can play far later than most other sports we grew up with.
Can I still play basketball, for example, at age 42? Sure, probably. But I also have to find people to play with, stretch like hell, and practice like mad just to feel somewhat competent in the games. And all the while, given the herky-jerky nature of the sport, and the mileage my body already has, I’m much more concerned about an injury that is going to take me out of commission for a long time.
Contrast this to Disc Golf where I can just hop in my car, drive to a local course, pay next to no money and do a round of 18 in under 2 hours. All the while I’m outside, getting exercise, challenging myself, and feeling pretty good that I can stave off injury.
That right there is a winning combination in my book. Now, Let’s take a closer look at some of the many reasons why disc golf and retirement are a perfect match.
low risk of injury
We already referenced this in the introduction, but disc golf has a much lower risk of injuries than other sports. For me, I’m mostly concerned about the types of injuries where I find myself in crutches afterwards.
Pain aside, these injuries are major inconvenience and can wreak havoc on your life for a considerable amount of time. I just assume avoid those.
That’s not to say there aren’t injuries in disc golf. There certainly are. My sense, reading up on it though, is that most of the injuries are in the overuse/joint injury categories. If you are new to the sport and looking to avoid these injuries, then a concerted effort on a good warm up and proper form should be emphasized from the beginning to prevent them.
Here‘s a good source I found on the matter if you want to read up on some of the most common injuries (and their treatments) in disc golf.
Disc golf is Inexpensive
In theory, if you are retired (which I am certainly not), then your sources of income are usually somewhat reduced. I think that is fair to say.
As a result, you may be reluctant to invest in a game like ball-golf (a term disc golfers used to describe what most people just call “golf”), because you are leery of the greens fees, expensive clubs/products. This can add up to thousands of dollars per year.
For disc golf, you could probably spend $150-$200 in your first year and easily get by with under a $100 per year afterwards if you were so inclined.
If you’re looking to start, here‘s a post on a 3-disc starter set that ages really well that you can check out.
The first year you would have a little more overhead just getting some discs/equipment to start. After that, you would probably buy a few more discs at a time per year, and try a few more courses (that actually cost money), but $100 is not out of the realm of possibilities. Compare that to ball golf where $70 is almost a given for a round these days and the math comes out easily in the disc-golfer’s favor.
Here’s another look at it. Pebble Beach is a widely recognized, famous golf resort. To play there, it would cost you $595 for a round.
In the disc golf world, Maple Hill (near me) is one of the premier courses, and widely appreciated in the disc golf world. I just played there recently and it cost me $15. And that’s expensive for disc golf!
When you look at it that way it’s not even close. Then, when you consider the fact that many disc golf courses are still free, and you can see how this can be a very inexpensive hobby.
With hours of entertainment at a minimal cost, disc golf and retirement are an inexpensive, yet wonderful pair!
If you are interested in exploring this idea more, I wrote a post entitled Disc Golf: Do it All for the Money, where I lay out my plans to retire early and play disc, for you to look at as well…
Exercise/mental stimulation
This one feels a little “old” sounding I admit. “People who do crosswords are far less likely to get Alzheimer’s,” sort of thing.
But, one thing that did stick with me when I studied physiology in my undergraduate studies(but please don’t confuse me for an expert. Do your own research as well!), was the drastic reduction in mortality rates by simply being moderately active.
You didn’t need to go yogging (jogging) 5 times a week. You just needed to walk.
Disc golf is essentially that. It’s a walk in the woods.
And for the crossword/mental stimulation, disc golf has you covered there as well. Each shot is unique and presents its own challenges. Whether it’s wind, obstacles, hills, angle of release, or any of the other variables to consider, each round is a mental challenge that gets those brain synapses firing. I have no evidence to support this (and I refuse to even bother to look), but that mental/physical challenge has to be more productive than watching Law and Order reruns on the couch. At least give me that!
Disc golf provides a nice combination of exercise and mental stimulation that should blend well with your health/retirement goals.
Disc golf is not time consuming
If I’m planning to play ball-golf, it’s usually going to be a whole-day ordeal. With the waiting for tee times, the slow foursome ahead of you, finding lost balls, and all the rest, you are looking at a good chunk of your day.
With disc golf, I can get in 9 holes in 45 minutes to an hour. The game moves. One big reason for this is that there are far less people on the course. This allows you to move at a better pace because I’m not waiting for my tee time or the group ahead of me (for the most part).
In addition, the courses are much shorter, so there’s far less ground to cover.
Less ground = less time.
Discs are also much bigger than golf balls and much easier to find. They don’t go nearly as far (about half), which adds to the ease in finding them. That’s less time searching.
All told, those 3 factors add up to major time savings. That means I can get out of work and do a quick 9 before dinner on most days and I don’t have to plan my whole day around it.
The people in disc golf are great
There I go again, sounding like I’m planning a retirement home. “People need to socialize to be healthier…”
Well how about this angle instead… The older I get, the less time I want to spend around douchey people. How’s that?
Fact: Disc Golf has far less douchey people than many other sports. Look it up!
I’m just done listening to two guys argue for 15 minutes about a foul call in a meaningless pick-up basketball game at the YMCA.
I want to spend time around good people that don’t take themselves too seriously. Disc golf has these people in spades.
Nobody’s perfect, and we all have our moments (I know I do). But for the most part, I find disc-golfers to be friendly, encouraging, thoughtful people. I even dedicated a post to them, which you can read here!
These are the people I want to be around and it probably keeps my blood pressure down as well…
The good people are another plus for disc golf and retirement!
The game is growing/readily available
In the limited time I’ve been immersed in the disc golf world, I’ve heard the phrase “disc golf is the fastest growing sport in the US/world,” uttered more than a few times.
I can’t tell you whether that’s true or not, but there is a sense that the sport is on the rise. And the data supports this by the way!
Whether it’s fastest or not, it’s growing. That means, you still have time to get ahead of the curve. How often do people thinking about retirement get to be part of something trendy? Not often, I would say!
But this also means that the sport is becoming more readily available by the day. That means there’s more courses being built, more equipment being made, and all the other factors that make it that much easier for you to get involved.
So jump on the growing trend, that’s far more accessible than it once was, and make disc golf a part of your retirement plan.
disc golf is becoming global
One highly enticing aspect of disc golf is that it’s very conducive to travel. Not only can you travel the great states and play vastly different courses, but you can also travel the world and play as well (mostly Europe for now).
Europe, and especially is Scandinavia, is growing the sport of disc golf at a rapid rate.
That means, if travel is part of your retirement plans, disc golf can blend in nicely with this.
You can see many beautiful places in the world and have some amazing disc golf experiences as well. And because it’s less expensive, you won’t be breaking the bank either.
Add “travel the world” to the list of reasons why disc golf and retirement are a great match.
Disc golf is easier to practice than most sports
There’s no denying the importance of practice, when you want to get better at something. But some sports are far more difficult to practice effectively than others.
Given the solo nature of the sport and the limited equipment required to play, disc golf is on the easier end of the spectrum of sports to practice.
If you’ve got just a little space (30 or more feet) in your yard/nearby then it’s probably worth it to buy yourself a basket to practice putting.
Then, as you expand into longer shots, you just need some sort of open field. Apart from your discs, you probably don’t need much more than a few traffic cones to aim at. You could put 2 traffic cones 100 feet apart and practice your touch/approach shots for a while.
Expand out further and see if you can broaden your range.
If there’s nobody else at the field (and no cars/windows to hit) you can work on your drives as well.
Disc golf is far easier to practice than most sports. The more you practice well, the better you get. And the better you get at something the more inclined you are to keep playing. The more you play, the more likely you are to access the other benefits we already spoke about. You see how these things cycle?
Having a sport that’s easy to practice and much lower maintenance makes disc golf a good fit for your retirement plans as well.
You still crave competition
I like walking in the park/woods, but really, I would much rather have an activity to do. Better yet, I want that activity to have something riding on it. A little competition if you will. It’s just how I’m wired, and I suspect I’m not the only one.
But, as you age, your options for competitive activities naturally wane (see injury section).
Disc golf is that perfect combination of activity, competition, and lower-risk that ages well into retirement.
I can play a round with friends, try like hell to beat them (or my own personal best score), and, win or lose, I can still leave a round knowing I had a good time and keep fire to get better burning hot.
So, if you have that competitive streak and you’re worried you won’t be able to stoke it the way you once could in other sports, then disc golf might be a good fit for you in retirement as well.
In Summary
Whether you are at an age for retirement or not, it’s never a bad idea to look ahead.
By my way of thinking, disc golf is a perfect game to play in retirement.
It checks so many boxes. It’s active, fun, stimulating, readily available, inexpensive, potentially competitive, easy to practice, less time-consuming and filled with good people.
It’s also going global so you can travel and see the world while you play! If that’s not a case for disc golf and retirement I don’t know what is!
Whatever you think, you won’t be changing my mind. I plan to be disc golf’n around the world well into my retirement.
Maybe the same can be true for you?
Thanks for reading everyone! Please let me know your thoughts below. Are you thinking about incorporating disc golf into your life? Are there other reasons disc golf and retirement are such a great match that you think I missed. Comment on this or anything else disc related in the comments below. Also, feel free to reach out and contact me any time if there is a post you would like to see written. While you are there, don’t forget to subscribe!